The present invention relates generally to a package for displaying articles accessible to customers in a store, and also which is configured to prevent theft of the article. More particularly, the present invention relates to an inexpensive package that is substantially larger than the packaged article, and is difficult to bend so that the container is not easily hidden from view, and is difficult to open in a store without being detected.
Antipilferage packages are known and used to prevent theft of small articles. Particularly in warehouse or club-type stores, where there are few employees available to monitor customers and prevent shoplifting, such packages are very desirable. These packages typically include a transparent blister to display the article without granting direct access to the article. The packages are also much larger than the article so that it is difficult to hide the packaged article under clothing.
To circumvent these measures, the blisters of conventional packages have been cut to remove the article, or the packages have been folded to hide the entire package within the thief""s clothing. To prevent these occurrences, known antipilferage packages frequently are made of two matching plies of a strong transparent plastic, one for the front face and one for the back face, with the article enclosed between the two plies. The blister protrudes from one or both of these faces. Furthermore, a very strong rib or flange is cooperatively formed by joining outer rims of the two plastic plies to render the package practically unbendable by hand. Often, an information card is disposed between the two plies.
Some of the known packages are made by thermoforming to obtain the desired strength and shape needed to resist bending or cutting of the plastic. Thermoforming includes positioning a thermoformable sheet of material on a thermoforming apparatus and then heating it. To form the conventional rib or frame on the package, the sheet of material is typically positioned between a male portion mold and a corresponding female portion assist. The female and male portions are reciprocally movable relative to each other and move together to a xe2x80x9cformingxe2x80x9d position to matingly engage the male and female portions. This converging of the mating portions bends the material, after it is heated, into the general desired shape. Once the assist and mold enclose the material, the heated and bent material is then pushed by air pressure and pulled by vacuum to position the heated material against the mold and away from the assist to the precise desired position for the material. The air pressure and vacuum enters the cavities through apertures along the assist and mold.
After each ply of material is formed and cut, the article or product is placed between two pieces that become the front and the back of the package. Finally, the peripheral edges of the front and back pieces are RF sealed to each other to form the completed package.
While these known antipilferage packages reduce theft, they require relatively large amounts of thermoforming material and as such are relatively expensive. On the other hand, the two plies of material at the rib cannot easily be eliminated because the strength and security of the package rely on having both plies.
Thus, a main object of the present invention is to provide an improved antipilferage package that is made with less thermoforming material while maintaining a relatively unbendable, strong rib along the outer edge of the package and maintaining the article within the package where it is not easily separated from the package.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved antipilferage package that eliminates the need for two plies of thermoformable material at the rib of the package while providing sufficient strength to resist bending by hand.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved antipilferage package with a non-thermoformable back portion that aids in enclosing the article so that it is difficult to remove the article from the package.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for making an antipilferage package with a rib formed from a single ply of thermoformable material.
The above-listed objects are met or exceeded by the present antipilferage package. A single sheet of thermoformable material is provided with a corrugated rib for strength. The single sheet has a front side, a back side which provides the attachment point for an information panel or card as well as a separate first blister. Forming the package by attaching the first blister directly to a back portion still maintains a structure that is difficult to open for accessing the enclosed article while eliminating the need for two layers of material.
More specifically, a package for holding an article has a front portion, a back portion and a separately formed first blister. The front portion includes a sheet generally defining a plane and has an outer rim. The back portion has an area and an outer periphery, and is configured to be secured to the front portion. An inner opening is defined by the back portion and has an area substantially smaller than the area of the back portion. In addition, the separately formed first blister is shaped for defining a first pocket configured for receiving at least a portion of the article. A peripheral edge is also formed on the first blister and is configured for attachment to at least one of the front portion and the back portion in a region of the inner opening of the back portion.
Furthermore, features of the present invention also include a rib connected to an outer rim of a sheet. The rib includes an inner wall connected to the outer rim, a middle wall connected to the inner wall at a defined peak, and an outer wall connected to the middle wall at a defined valley, so that the rib is shaped with waves or folds. This configuration provides generally the same amount of strength to a single ply of thermoformable material as two conventional plies or sheets of thermoformable material, when each ply has its own rib and the ribs are attached to each other so that they are positioned in a mirrored fashion to extend in opposite directions to cooperatively form a singularly acting rib.
In more detail, a package has a sheet generally defining a plane and has an outer rim with a rib. The rib includes an inner wall integrally formed with the outer rim. The inner wall extends generally normally relative to the plane from the outer rim in a first direction to a peak. A middle wall is integrally formed with the inner wall and also extends generally normally relative to the plane. The middle wall extends from the peak in a second direction, past the plane and to a valley, where the second direction is generally opposite to the first direction. Additionally, an outer wall, integrally formed with the middle wall, extends generally normally relative to the plane and extends from the valley to a distal end defining a top of the outer wall.
Yet another feature of the present invention includes an improved method and apparatus for forming the improved antipilferage package. In the conventional apparatus for forming an antipilferage package, in a mold set, all molds would be positioned on one side of the sheet of thermoformable material and all assists would be positioned on the opposite side of the sheet. This typical configuration, however, would result in a non-uniform thickness of the sheet throughout the formed rib due to the different characteristics of forming the material against a male mold with an insert and a female mold with a cavity.
However, a more uniform layer of material is formed when the material is forced only against male portion molds while using only female portion assists. This process requires that each male mold, which extends in opposite directions, be treated uniquely by the forces used to move the thermoformable material. In the typical mold set forming the rib on an antipilferage package, no efficient way exists to isolate the male molds from each other for the unique treatment. Thus, the present invention includes a first part and a second part, each having a female portion and a corresponding male portion that define each chamber to connected by a passage that is sealed by a chamber sealing device so that each set of corresponding male portion molds and female portion assists can be treated uniquely.
To be more precise, a method of forming a package having a thermoformable sheet includes the steps of providing a sheet of thermoformable material and providing a molding set having a first part and a corresponding second part, where each of the parts has a male portion and a female portion. Further steps include placing the sheet of thermoformable material between the first part and the second part. The first and second parts cooperatively define at least two thermoforming chambers connected by a passage between the first part and the second part, where one of the thermoforming chambers tapers in a different direction than the other thermoforming chamber.
This method also includes converging the first part and the second part in the presence of heat for shaping the sheet, and sandwiching a chamber sealing device, disposed on one of the parts, and the thermoformable sheet between the first part and the second part along the passage so that air cannot flow through the passage for isolating one thermoforming chamber from the other. Finally, a shaping step includes shaping the sheet by maintaining air flow against the sheet in at least a first direction in one thermoforming chamber and in a second direction in the other thermoforming chamber, the first direction being different than the second direction.
Additionally, another feature of the present invention is an apparatus for forming a package with a thermoformable sheet that includes a first part and a second part that define at least two thermoforming chambers connected by a passage between the first part and the second part. Each part has at least one male portion and one female portion. In addition, at least one thermoforming chamber tapers in a different direction than the other thermoforming chamber. The first and second parts are configured and disposed in opposing locations for converging the first part with the second part for shaping the thermoformable sheet in between the first and second parts.
The apparatus also has a chamber sealing device disposed within the passage and configured for isolating one thermoforming chamber from the other thermoforming chamber so that the converging of the parts sandwiches the sealing device and the sheet between the first and second parts along the passage so that air cannot flow through the passage. Air flow devices are also provided for flowing air against the sheet from at least a first direction in the first chamber and from a second direction different from the first direction in the second chamber.